Kenny accused of ‘ducking’ debate

The Taoiseach was yesterday accused of “ducking” a live television debate by Micheál Martin as Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil launched their opposing campaigns for next month’s Seanad referendum.

At the launch of his party’s call for a No vote, Mr Martin, the Fianna Fáil leader, said he was willing to challenge Enda Kenny on any broadcast outlet, TV or otherwise, that would host such a debate.

“If he ducks the debate, it will send a message to the people about an arrogant government which already has too much power and doesn’t need more,” said Mr Martin.

However, in calling for a Yes vote, the Taoiseach said he would have no difficulty debating with Mr Martin at Leaders’ Questions.

“I note that Micheál has challenged me for a debate on this matter,” said Mr Kenny. “I’m not sure which Micheál wants to turn up here. There was the Micheál that was very adamant about the abolition of the Seanad before the last election, and then the new Micheál that said, on second thoughts, we should consider holding onto this.”

Live television debates involving the Taoiseach are normally held at general elections and are not a feature of referendums.

Accompanied by Fine Gael’s director of elections Richard Bruton, Mr Kenny described the Seanad as a “powerful, elitist, and discriminatory second house” and dismissed accusations the push to abolish the Seanad was a “power grab.”

“This is about the people,” he said, adding the abolition was just one step in the Government’s overall plans for political reform.

He said ministers would publish a number of proposed changes to the Dáil this week, which are likely to include longer sitting hours, new committees to consider legislation at different stages, and wider consultation.

Mr Kenny also rejected concerns that if the Seanad was scrapped, there would be nobody acting as watchdog over the Government.

“It is the constitutional responsibility of Dáil Eireann to hold the Government to account. It is not vested in the Seanad,” he said.

Mr Kenny also denied weekend reports that he was pushed into holding the referendum by his advisors saying the campaign to scrap the Seanad was his alone when he adopted the policy in opposition.

Mr Martin said even if the referendum was passed, it would not deliver any reform. “In fact, it will make matters worse because it will cement absolute ministerial control over the political system and will mark the formal end of any change of delivering real political reform.”

He said ministers were constantly claiming to have delivered their promised “democratic revolution”, but there had not been one single substantive change to the way Ireland was being governed and “the situation has actually got worse”.

He said a different status for ministerial drivers, a tiny reduction in the number of TDs, and the abolition of a powerless level of local government was certainly change — “but to present this as transformative reform is transparently ridiculous”.

The party’s director of elections, Niall Collins, claimed getting rid of the Seanad was “a personal hobby horse of Enda Kenny’s”, and the rest of the Government was too timid to speak out against him.

Fianna Fáil is planning to spend €80,000 on its campaign and hopes to leaflet up to 1m homes.

Sinn Féin recently launched its campaign for the abolition of the Seanad. The party, which described the upper house as “an affront to democracy”, has since launched its own proposals for political reform.

Deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said it would consider gender quotas, reducing the voting age, partial list systems, and extending voting rights for northern citizens among its suite of proposed changes to the system. She said the party did not rule out the option of setting up a second chamber in the future.